Vitality County Championship 2024, Round 15, Day 4, 26th - 29th Sept Live Cricket, Latest Scores, Match Reports – All Matches – Division 1 and 2

Here are all the latest scores, match reports and news for the Vitality County Championship 2024, Division 1 and 2 - Round 15, Day 3, 26th Sept -29th Sept.

Sunday 29th - Round 15 Thursday 26 – Sunday 12 September

Division One

Nottinghamshire vs Warwickshire, Division One, Trent Bridge, Nottingham

With all potential relegation permutations happily off the agenda at last, Warwickshire calmly settled down to avoiding defeat against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on the final day of the 2024 Vitality County Championship. Saving the follow-on with five wickets down effectively saved the game.

The draw, for which the pitch was probably intended from the start, thus duly arrived with ease, Notts taking 14 points to the visitors’ 13. Sam Hain signed off the season with an unbeaten 153 and his overnight partner Ed Barnard made 81 before Michael Burgess struck 56 from 71 balls in an eventual 373-7 after the resumption on 143-4.

It was not until the 13^th ball after lunch in fact that the fifth-wicket partners were finally separated after adding exactly 150. The wunderkind off-spinner Farhan Ahmed switched to bowling over the wicket for the first time in the day and Barnard, who had passed 5000 first-class runs on the way, immediately top-edged a sweep to the deep.

The catch was well judged by the 21-year old substitute Sam King, yet to gain a first-class debut, with Brett Hutton briefly off the field. But only 84 more runs were then needed to avoid the follow-on, reduced to 58 by the time Hutton returned to take the new ball five overs later.

In a challenging summer during which “personal reasons” and concussion had seen him miss six games, Hain had completed a heartening second hundred of the season from 202 balls just before lunch. As Ahmed shared the new ball, he remained the anchor while Burgess proved typically combative.

The follow-on target of 333 was passed with 43 overs remaining but the match, bonus points aside, long since academic as certain to be drawn. Burgess entertained with four sixes in all until he swiped at Lyndon James 21 runs later and failed to clear mid-on. Ahmed came off next over with three for 93 from 33 overs, good figures on this pitch.

A second substitute, James Hayes, also without first-class experience, then took a gentle catch at cover off Rob Lord as a loose cut undid Danny Briggs without score. After tea taken at 361-7, however, just four bonus-point overs remained, neither side adding to their tally. Notts brought Ahmed back on but he found no further success and bad light conveniently ended play at 3.50.  

Warwickshire could reflect on a season of just one win but the boon of no fewer than 33 batting points, a total bettered only by Surrey and Essex in Division One. Added to the reinstated increased reward of eight points for each of their nine draws, it served them very well.

Nottinghamshire too benefited from eight draws and Lancashire would no doubt rue the fact that they arguably had a marginally better playing record than both their rivals but could muster just 15 batting points along with their four draws. They ended with three wins and six losses, compared to Notts’ two wins, four losses and Warwickshire’s one win also with four losses.

PETER MOORES (Notts coach)

“If I look at where things were perhaps a problem this year I’d say that though we had a series of batters who had good returns but maybe, in the back half of the season we sometimes got it wrong, we didn’t perform as well in the first innings as we should, though we often fought back well in the second. There’s been some inexperience in the line-up and it takes time, I think, for people to learn together the tough quality you need to keep up right through a four-day game. Four-day cricket is a genuine test and if you et even one session slip you’re in trouble

Other teams get injuries, of course we know that, but I think we had real problems with bolwelers being absent, Brett Hutton for so many games with injury, Paterson away at the end on paternity leave, Luke Fletcher in and out, Dillon Pennington injured in August and Josh Tongue absent throughout. I thought Calvin Harrison was making really encouraging progress in his first full season but even he was out for the last four games, too.

If you get through these things, you find things out and are better for it. We didn’t get relegated and a lot of good points emerged from the young players we turned to, Rob Lord, Freddie McCann and Farhan Ahmed. Farhan’s the best player his age that I’ve seen in my time, wonderful enthusiasm and able to keep good batters thinking in the way of bowlers ten years older”

 

MARK ROBINSON (Warwickshire coach):

“It’s been a difficult year, there’s no argument with that. I’ve never known a season like it with personnel changes. To lose your best batter, San Hain, the day before the first match and your two overseas fast bowling signings drop out in the fortnight before the start throws you a lot. Joel Paris from Western Australia and Hasan Ali, who was suddenly called to a Pakistan training camp, couldn’t turn up.

It went on a bit like that all year but I’ve been massively impressed with the resilience of the squad. I’ve just told Alex Davies, in his first year as captain, that it’s never going to be so difficult again.

We played on a lot of flat pitches like this one at Trent Bridge this year and there was a lot of rain when we were in reasonable positions so I think that’s why there were so many draws.There was lack of penetration from our bowlers at times, I admit that, but I defy any team to get by without your best bowlers. Chris Rushworth was often missing and we really need to address the depth in our bowling either through recruitment of bringing our own players through. If we’re honest we’ve had only Chris Woakes as our one locally produced pace bowler for years and that has to be rectified.

We need to draw breath and come back strong: it’s my job to keep the players calm after losing one or two big one-day games for which we got criticised. On the red-ball front, these are difficult times for the county game. I was brought up in it and have a great affinity with it but you sometimes fear it’s getting a bit marginalised. I’d like to thank those four-day supporters who’ve stuck with us through the championship season, loving this type of cricket”

Worcestershire vs Lancashire, Division One, County Ground, New Road, Worcester

Worcestershire sealed their highest ever position in the Vitality County Championship since it was split into two divisions in 2000 after drawing with relegated Lancashire at Visit Worcestershire New Road.

They secured sixth spot in Division One after recovering for the second time in the game from a precarious position with the bat thanks to the efforts of Matthew Waite, Adam Hose and Logan Van Beek.

It enabled them to surpass their previous best performance of finishing seventh in Division One in 2011.

Worcestershire have defied the pre-season predictions of being favourites to make an instant return to Division Two after last summer’s promotion campaign.

A run of three successive wins against Durham, Kent and Essex effectively made sure of top-flight cricket in 2025.

It was a fitting way for long-serving all-rounder Joe Leach to end his career after being Worcestershire’s leader of the attack for the past decade and a haul of 467 first class wickets for the County.

He received a standing ovation when he came out to bat for the second time in the game and signed off with 30 not out

Worcestershire can be proud of their efforts after the well documented challenges on and off the field that have confronted them during the past 12 months.

They have shown a tremendous team spirit and an abundance in skill but also their determination in adversity when recovering from challenging positions in games.

Worcestershire triumphed away to Durham after being bowled out for 112 in the first innings and then recovered from 10-4 on the first morning to defeat Essex at Chelmsford.

Relegated Lancashire’s fate had been sealed on Saturday after their failure to secure a single batting bonus point for the ninth time in 14 games this season.

But there was the encouraging sign of a return to form of pace bowler Tom Bailey.

He had picked up just 16 wickets in his first 10 Championship appearances of the summer but was back to his best against Somerset and Worcestershire with a haul of 11 scalps.

West Indian paceman Anderson Phillip also  impressed during his short spell at the club and ended this game with nine wickets.

Phillip struck with his first ball of the day as Jake Libby played too early at the delivery and offered a gentle return catch.

Phillip struck again when Kashif Ali, Worcestershire’s leading run-scorer in the Championship this summer, went for a flashing drive and edged through to keeper Matty Hurst.

Gareth Roderick completed 2,000 first class runs for Worcestershire when he reached nine but added only five more before he was run out.

Rob Jones turned Phillip towards cover and he and Roderick set off for a single but the keeper-batter was unable to make his ground before Will Williams direct hit at the non-striker’s end.

Jones (17) was lbw after aiming to drive Tom Bailey and Club Captain Brett D’Oliveira lost his middle stump to the same player.

Ethan Brookes was lbw to a delivery angled in by Williams at 78-6.

But for the second time in the game Matthew Waite led a counter-attack, this time in partnership with Adam Hose.

He pulled Phillip for six and a similar shot off the same bowler brought another boundary.

Hose provided excellent support, mixing solid defence with a series of fine strokes, on driving George Balderson and straight driving Williams to the ropes.

Waite raced onto 37 from 27 balls before he aimed another pull at Phillips but this time picked out Harry Singh at deep square leg.

The seventh wicket pair added 55 in just nine overs.

Hose’s determined knock of 41 off 109 balls came to an end when he was lbw to give Bailey his third wicket.

Van Beek advanced to 44 before he holed out to deep mid-wicket off Phillip but then Leach had time to end with a flourish in making 30 not out before bad light halted play at 3,30pm with 41 overs remaining.

 

Head Coach Alan Richardson, commenting on Worcestershire’s top six finish, said: “Extremely proud to be part of it. I know the boys in the changing room have worked extremely hard since we got promoted and before that to try and achieve something like this.

“We know it hasn’t happened very often in our history in terms of we’ve been promoted a lot but we’ve also been relegated a lot.

“It is a small step towards trying to push as far as we can as a group and see where we can get to.

“The talk at the start of the season was about the effort everyone would have to put in and it is incredibly important we work hard as a team and they’ve done that brilliantly well.

“The wickets have been spread far and wide and also for the batters, we’ve contributed all the way down the order, and none more so than in this last game.

“It is an individual sport but played as a team and it’s really important the team work well together.

“I use the word character a lot and we’ve needed that in abundance this year.”

 

Lancashire Head Coach Dale Benkenstein said: “In four day cricket there is so much time in the game that if you’ve got any weaknesses they are going to be found, and especially in Division One.

“We have definitely in four-day cricket got a lot of work to do and probably didn’t realise we were going to be in this position coming into the job.

“But we’ve got a task ahead, and that’s sport. As much as you sometimes need to go down to find your feet and everyone to regroup a bit and have a bit of breathing space and actually find confidence and the balance of team.

“You don’t just want to go back into Division One. You want to go back and you want to stay there.

“It hasn’t been the easiest season but that is the nature of county cricket and it’s a tough job as a head coach.”

 

Essex vs Surrey, Division One, The Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford

Dom Sibley batted for more than four hours for his third century of the season to ensure there was no last-day embarrassment before Surrey lifted aloft the Vitality County Championship trophy following an attritional draw at Chelmsford.

  Surrey savoured the traditional champagne-spraying celebrations for the third successive year after a season in which they won eight of their 14 matches. However, apart from Sibley’s 189-ball 125, they were comprehensively second best against Essex as underlined by the fact they only collected two bonus points from the game.

  Sibley’s innings was a mixture of forcefulness, chiefly through the covers, and watchfulness as he dominated half-century stands with Dan Lawrence and Josh Blake before he was sixth man out with Surrey still nominally 143 runs shy of making Essex bat again.

  The finale to the Championship season petered out in comedy as Essex bowlers changed bowling styles before handshakes were exchanged at 4.10pm with Surrey 267-7.

  Essex, bowling sensibly at the time, had taken three wickets in 10 overs in the morning to introduce a little frisson to proceedings, but the game meandered towards the draw that had been inevitable since rain washed out all but 111 minutes’ play on the first two days. The draw meant Essex finished fourth, two points behind one-time title contenders Somerset.

  Yousef Majid extended his nightwatchman duties by just over half-an-hour on a cold, grey morning before he tried to play Harmer to leg but popped up a catch in the opposite direction to short extra cover.

  Jamie Porter’s sequence of four successful maidens was broken when Sibley drove him straight back so fiercely it almost cut the bowler in half on its way to the boundary. He was equally aggressive against Harmer, coming down the wicket and swiping him past midwicket for another of his 17 fours.

  Ryan Patel had already been missed at slip by Ben Allison, fielding in place of the injured Dean Elgar, before he was unbalanced by Porter and departed lbw. Ben Geddes did not last long, beaten by one from Harmer that turned and jagged back his off-stump.

  Sibley dominated the first fifty of the fifth-wicket stand with Dan Lawrence amid a flurry of pushed and well-placed boundaries. Lawrence contributed just 14 of them, and 27 of the 75 runs they eventually put on before Shane Snater trapped him lbw.

  Runs dried up at that point: seven came off 43 balls and 10 overs passed without a boundary before Sibley stroked back Sam Cook for his 14th four to reach three figures from 168 balls. He celebrated by going down on one knee and launching Matt Critchley out of the ground over long leg for only the second six of the match.

  However, Critchley gained a measure of revenge when Sibley drove uppishly towards mid-off where Cook took the catch. Harmer was eventually rested and his replacement, Tom Westley, struck with his sixth ball as Ollie Sykes’s debut lasted two balls.

  With little enthusiasm from the participants, the first over after tea, bowled by Westley, took eight minutes to complete – and 16 minutes for three overs of spin – with questions about changing the ball and sundry other time-wasting manoeuvres.

  To enforce the sense of farce pace bowler Cook came in off three paces to send down six balls of spin and spinners Critchley and Harmer took the new-ball with a variety of medium-paced dibbly-dobblies to an equally unfamiliar slip cordon of Cook, Porter and Allison.

Surrey’s four-time Championship-winning captain Rory Burns said: “It feels pretty good. I think the raw emotion was probably more there last week. Today was a fractionally stale trophy-lift after a pretty dead rubber last game. But I’m very proud of what this group of players has achieved over the last few years. To win it once is a very hard thing to do, to win it three times in a row is incredibly impressive and I’m very proud of them.

  “I think the motivation at the start of every season is when you’ve done it once you want to do it again and you know the target is on your back. There is that pride in defending it, we’ve dressed it up in different ways in trying to attack it, but we’ll sit on three in a row for a little bit and we’ll think about next year in due course.

  “Stewie [retiring director of cricket Alec Stewart] might have lost the title but he’s always going to be there in the background, I imagine, and helping us every way he can. He’s a true Surrey man. He’s still the gaffer.

  “I think beating these guys [Essex] at home was key. At the start of the year you try and pick put who your main rivals might be, and we knew Essex were a very good team. Beating them at home at the midway-ish point of the season was a big lift and gave us quite a big buffer at that stage. That was one of the big ones. And obviously getting over the line against Durham last week, particularly after coming back from a poor performance – or rather a mad hour at the end of that Somerset game. They are two stand-outs for me.

  “It was more a re-focus on the job [after the Taunton defeat], saying [to the players] we were actually still out in front and we’d much rather be in our shoes and go and get the job done at home where we’ve pretty much done it all year.

  “This one [title] has probably been the most difficult. Within our squad we have got a lot of moving parts, a lot of guys going out playing for England, which is brilliant, it is one of the challenges of being us. The target is on our back, people change the conditions of how they play us. The next one is always difficult but there is no reason why we can’t do it. We’ll certainly have a month off now, then I’ll start thinking about it.”

 

Essex captain Tom Westley said: “I suppose from the perspective of the final game of the season, we played some really good cricket on a fairly docile wicket. Playing against Surrey is always challenging but to end the game on top means that we can take a lot of momentum into next season and is a reflection of where we are as a club.

  “We are a very good team and there have been a few things this season that haven’t quite gone our way, key moments that define seasons. We haven’t been good enough to lift the trophy.

  “It’s another season done but there will be reflections over the next couple of months and we’ll have to come back stronger next year.

  “After the disappointing loss to Worcestershire – which was a key moment on the season for us – we set out to try and win every single game and it’s a shame that a heavily rain-affected game finished the season.

  “It has been a frustrating year, we know that given all the experiences we have as players and coaches, we should be pushing Surrey all the way. Obviously the right team has won the Championship, they have been the best team for the past few years, we probably weren’t our best at The Oval when a few things went against us such as Jordan Cox having his appendix out,. That wasn’t ideal, Sam Cook wasn’t always available and that was always a big factor for us.

  “But the Worcestershire defeat was immensely frustrating for us  and a key moment in our season. It was a bit of a lottery down at Somerset on that wicket, if the toss had gone our way, it could have been another win. But that’s what you need to achieve through the whole season, you need to win the key moments  and we haven’t been quite good enough to win those moments. But hopefully, next y

Durham vs Kent, Division One, Seat Unique Riverside, Chester-le-Street, Chester-Le-Street

Excellent knocks from Jack Leaning, Joe Denly and Joey Evison steered already-relegated Kent to a creditable draw in their rain-affected Vitality County Championship clash at Durham. 

Leaning and Denly led a good Kent batting performance, something that has been all too rare this season, and secured a draw on day four at the Seat Unique Riverside with some good batting with the tail from Evison.

Leaning and Denly came together after an early wicket for the hosts and combined for a partnership worth 124, with Kent finishing on 353 for eight as the captain’s shook hands at 4:20pm.

The draw gives Kent a good end to a disappointing season, with the county finishing bottom of Division One and as a result they will be playing in Division Two in 2025, where they will be targeting an instant return to the top tier.

Meanwhile for Durham, they have secured a mid-table finish in their first Division One season for eight years and there’s plenty of positives for the North East county to take from their first season back amongst the elite, most notably the emergence of youngsters Ben McKinney, James Minto and Daniel Hogg. They will look to close the gap to the top of the table next season, with Will Rhodes, Sam Conners and Emilio Gay all joining permanently for the next campaign.

In addition to that, depending on the schedule in 2025, they could also have England Test skipper Ben Stokes to call upon, he was spotted continuing his recovery from a hamstring injury at Chester-le-Street as he targets a return from injury for the Pakistan Test series.

Kent resumed on 96 for three after an eventful third day at Chester-le-Street, with skipper Leaning and nightwatchman Jas Singh at the crease. 

Singh did his job and didn’t last long with him feathering a Bas de Leede ball down the legside to Ollie Robinson in the second over of the day.

Leaning played a lovely straight drive from the bowling of de Leede to get himself going on day four. 

Joe Denly looked in good touch and played a lovely cut shot on the offside for four as the former England man halted the hosts’ push for wickets along with his captain.

Leaning then reached his fifty from 108 balls to give the already-relegated visitors some hope of picking up a creditable draw in the North East.

At the other end Denly continued to find the boundary, with the experienced right-hander whipping a Chemar Holder delivery through mid-wicket for four. 

Durham had a chance to get Denly out as he played an aerial shot off the bowling of Minto, but Callum Parkinson dropped it at fine leg. It was a drop that the hosts would later regret as Denly reached his half-century, which came from 82 balls and included five fours. 

The visitors reached lunch without further loss and Leaning hit the first ball after the break through mid-wicket for four. 

Parkinson then dropped Denly again after he failed to take a tricky return catch off his own bowling. However, it was third time lucky for the left-arm spinner as he got Denly caught and bowled for 63. 

Leaning then quickly followed him into the pavilion for an excellent 84 after he pulled a de Leede delivery straight to Minto on the legside boundary. 

Evison came to the crease and swung some momentum back to the visitors, with the all-rounder carving a Hogg delivery to the offside boundary and he then pummelled a Parkinson ball down the ground for six. 

Marcus O’Riordan then departed after he edged a Hogg delivery to Colin Ackermann at slip for three. 

Evison continued to motor alongside Grant Stewart as they took Kent past the follow-on target, but Stewart departed for 40 just after tea, handing Holder his first wicket of the match. 

Evison reached his fifty from 67 balls and saw out the draw for the visitors alongside Matt Parkinson.

 

Kent's captain Jack Leaning said:

"Naturally from both sides there's not a great deal to be gained other than professional pride and finishing on a high with a result or a performance. I thought both teams played pretty well, it was a pretty flat, placid wicket. We hoped that we'd get the most out of it on the first day as it was used for the international game, but when it's sat under covers for two days, it didn't do a great deal apart from spin a bit later on."

"It's nice to get a few runs but I thought it should have been a 100 personally but it is a frustrating way to end the season as a club."

"As a team we've all got to look at ourselves and be better, batters and bowlers. I think as long as we take that mindset into the winter and into next season we'll have a better chance of hitting the ground running next year."

"This season has hurt definitely, it's tough losing most weeks, nobody wants that because you then go home and get frustrated with it. Unfortunately that's been where we've been at as a team this year. You can't hide behind it as over the course of the league season, the table never lies."

 

Durham head coach Ryan Campbell said:

"The game is probably on the back burner to be honest with two days washed out. The chances of having a result are pretty small. At the end of the day, I guess we're still looking at improving and giving opportunities to our younger lads. We saw young (James) Minto run in and bowl some fast stuff, Hogg continues to impress and Bas de Leede's done a great job. From the One Day Cup to the back end Bas has been the one constant in our bowling attack. 

"It's been a long year, everyone's ready for a rest. It's been a great year because it's a good game, we love the County Championship, we love everything the English game brings and these boys have had a good time."

"(on David Bedingham) He's had a fantastic season. When you look at world cricket, there's a guy that has control of his game. We've seen him do really well for South Africa and we hope he continues to do well for us. We've pretty much played one season with just him as the overseas pro, because the second one keeps on breaking down. He's been a beacon and we wish him all the best for his South African season back home."

"I think that all of our youngsters have not been anywhere near their best yet, I know Daniel Hogg took loads of wickets on debut but he's only had one pre-season, Minto's never had one and and Luke Robinson didn't really bowl a ball this year. We've got so many young fast bowlers from our academy coming through now and we'll spend so much time getting them conditioned, getting them hearty and getting them strong enough to do a full season."

Division Two

Leicestershire vs Derbyshire, Division Two, Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester

Leicestershire’s rain-hit Vitality County Championship match against East Midlands neighbours Derbyshire ended in the tame draw that had been long anticipated as the curtain came down on the season at the Uptonsteel County Ground.

What would otherwise have been a decidedly unmemorable final day was rescued by the veteran Derbyshire stalwart Wayne Madsen, whose sixth century in this fixture took his career tally of first-class runs against Leicestershire to 2,032 at an impressive average of 63.50.

The 40-year-old hit 11 fours and a six in an unbeaten 105, although it was not a chanceless century. He was dropped at midwicket on 72, which would have left him tantalisingly on 1,999 against the Foxes.

Skipper David Lloyd made 73 as Derbyshire posted 252 for three declared in their first innings in reply to Leicestershire’s 280 all out, in which Lloyd’s three for 43 was his side’s best performance with the ball. The first two days of the match had been lost to the weather.

Nonetheless, it is a season Derbyshire will want to forget after finishing bottom of the Division Two table with just one win from 14 matches, while it did not reach the conclusion Leicestershire had been hoping for in August, when they were still contention for a promotion place.

Three draws and two defeats in their last five matches put paid to that ambition and 2025 will be their 20th consecutive season in Division Two.

Resuming at 264 for eight, Leicestershire added 16 runs before Zak Chappell uprooted debutant Alex Green’s middle stump to end their first innings, Pat Brown having had Sam Wood caught at first slip, both with the second new ball.

Ben Cox, a possible contender to take over from Lewis Hill as captain next season, finished on 42 not out.

Leicestershire had been bowled out in 87.1 overs. With a minimum 86 overs left in the match, some watching were hopeful that each team might forfeit an innings to leave Derbyshire a target of 265, which at least would have created a meaningful conclusion to the match, even if the prize at stake was no more than regional pride.

But if there had been any discussions around manufacturing a finish, they clearly did not end in agreement. Derbyshire emerged from the pavilion to little apparent purpose other than to add such batting bonus points as they could to the three they picked up for bowling, although nothing can now alter the fact that they have finished bottom of the table for the 17th time in their history.

Then again, after five defeats in six matches coming into this one, it could be argued that it is better to finish the season with a draw than another loss.

As it happened, by lunch Derbyshire were well on the way to that objective at 79 for one from 18 overs, left-arm spinner Liam Trevaskis picking up the sole wicket to fall with his first delivery when Mitch Wagstaff edged to slip.

Against a depleted Leicestershire attack, with no Josh Hull, Chris Wright, Scott Currie or Rehan Ahmed for a variety of reasons, runs came relatively easily at times. 

Green, 6ft 6ins and not 18 until February, bowled his first overs in first-class cricket but found there was little margin for error with length or line on an unresponsive pitch, although he troubled the batters at times.

Lloyd, who has had a chastening first season as Derbyshire’s captain, completed his fourth half-century of the campaign, but after 11 fours he was denied the chance to register his first hundred since his triple century against Derbyshire for Glamorgan in 2022 when he slashed at a delivery from Ben Mike outside off stump and was caught at slip.

Harry Came had been the second wicket to fall, edging to wicketkeeper Cox off Ben Green, one of six seamers deployed by the home side.

Madsen’s stand with Brooke Guest added 132, the 40-year-old clearly in the mood to take advantage of the docile conditions on a bright, if cool afternoon, providing some entertainment for the pockets of keen spectators, reaching the 100-run milestone for the 39th time in his first-class career with an uppercut off Mike for his 11th four.

 

Derbyshire centurion Wayne Madsen said:

“It is pretty special to get to 1,000 runs in a season. It is a feat you are always striving for as a batter and I’m extremely proud, especially to have done it after our first game of the season was completely washed out.

“I always enjoy batting here, it is a good wicket to bat on and I’ve been fortunate enough to make some runs against Leicestershire.

“It adds a little bit of joy to  what has been a disappointing season for us in red-ball cricket. We struggled at the beginning, and not getting Mohammad Amir at the start of the season was a big blow, because he could have helped us win a few games. We played for a large part of the season without overseas players, which has been a factor but we have not been consistent enough in our performances. 

“As a collective, we have  to look at ourselves and really finding the grit and resilience to win games of cricket has to be at the top of our focus, as well as certain skill sides we have to get right. 

“In this match, it was mentioned off the cuff early doors that there might be a way that we could have had two declarations, but nothing was agreed. But to play pretty good cricket through his game and come away with a draw is good for us psychologically. And had it been a longer game we would have been pleased with the way we played.

“Looking ahead to next season, I’ll be 41 in January but I still have that hunger to play for Derbyshire and I’m fully intending to play in all formats again.”

 

Leicestershire head coach Alfonso Thomas said:

“It was not ideal after the weather over the last week, and difficult for the guys to get motivated for the last game of the season after losing the first two days.

“But I was pleased with the way Sol (Budinger) batted. And with the guys we had missing it was a good game to see where someone like Alex Green is at. He struggled a bit in his first spell but I had a chat with him at lunch and I thought he came back really well. He is only 17 and it is all about managing him and being patient, but he is an exciting prospect.

“To have him, Sam and Josh Hull in our squad, to have those three young prospects all over 6ft 5ins, it is exciting  times.”

 

Sussex vs Middlesex, Division Two, 1st Central County Ground, Hove, Brighton

Tom Haines and James Coles both scored centuries as Sussex clinched the second division title on a day of celebrations at Hove.

Haines made 105 – his third hundred of the season – and Coles hit an unbeaten 132 as Sussex finished the season undefeated at the 1st Central County Ground after drawing with Middlesex.

They began the final day on 112 for two, needing to reach 250 and a fourth bonus point to ensure promotion as champions.

There was a slight sense of anti-climax shortly after lunch when Luke Hollman overstepped and the two no balls took Sussex to 250, but the celebrations out in the middle, where Coles and skipper John Simpson embraced warmly, and on the pavilion balcony showed what it meant as Sussex returned to Division One after a nine-year absence.

Sussex finished 20 points clear of Yorkshire, having won eight of their 14 games.

There had still been a bit of work to do at the start before the celebrations could begin and Haines and Tom Alsop settled any nerves by putting on 123 in 35 overs for the third wicket with few alarms. Alsop passed fifty for the eighth time this season and must have fancied his chances of converting it into a first hundred, only to mistime a pull off Josh De Caires to deep mid-wicket.

Haines reached a chanceless hundred – the 12^th of his career - with a cut through backward point off Hollman for his 13th boundary only to fall just before lunch when he bottom-edged into his stumps to reward Hollman’s perseverance.

Once Sussex had achieved their objective the cricket not surprisingly lost any intensity. Ryan Higgins bowled off breaks instead of his usual medium-fast seamers, Luis du Plooy gave his left-arm tweakers an airing as Middlesex employed nine bowlers including Mark Stoneman, who sent down seven overs in his final game for the county, and wicketkeeper Jack Davies.

Not that Coles or Simpson were complaining too much as they built a fifth-wicket stand of 226 in 46 overs, beating the previous best against Middlesex set of 223 by Simpson and Cheteshwar Pujara when the teams drew at Lord’s earlier in the season. 

Coles played aggressively, hitting six sixes and nine boundaries, clipping Hollman into the leg side to bring up his first hundred of the season. His unbeaten 132 came from just 150 balls while Simpson took his aggregate to 1197 runs at 74.81 with an undefeated 87. 

It was fitting that Simpson, whose five centuries as well as his leadership has been so crucial to Sussex’s success, was there when the players shook hands at 4.20pm with Sussex on 459 for 4. 

A few minutes later the celebrations could begin in earnest when the trophy was presented to him by another former Sussex captain Clare Connor, the managing director of England Womens Cricket.

Sussex head coach Paul Farbrace said: "Last year we put down some good foundations. We had our disciplinary issues and that cost us points as did our poor over rate. We got the same number of points as Worcestershire, but I didn’t feel we weren’t ready to go up. 

"We want to be playing against the best teams and I believe we now have a team of division one cricketers. It will be a challenge of course, but we have a team ready to go up and one with a lot more experience which will hopefully help us do more than just compete next season.

"I’m pleased we got the trophy at Hove. Our supporters and members have had some tough times so they deserve this moment. The players have been excellent. John Simpson has done an outstanding job, not just in terms of his captaincy but his batting as well. Our overseas players made a big contribution - we always had someone who could run in hard - and having Ollie Robinson available all season was an unexpected bonus.

“Ollie has been fantastic - his experience helping the younger bowlers and helping our overseas bowlers learn how to bowl in English conditions has been so important to us.”

Yorkshire vs Northamptonshire, Division Two, Headingley, Leeds

James Wharton completed a mammoth 285, posting the fifth highest individual first-class score ever at Headingley and the joint-eighth highest in Yorkshire history as their Vitality County Championship clash with Northamptonshire drifted to a final day draw. 

England’s Jonny Bairstow also added an aggressive 78 as promoted Yorkshire, who started the day on 371 for two in reply to a first-innings 147, decided to bat on instead of chasing a season-ending sixth victory in seven games. 

They declared at tea on 726 for seven, a lead of 579. When the players shook hands at 4.20pm, Northamptonshire were 71 for two in their second innings. Yorkshire claimed 16 points from the draw to Northamptonshire’s nine. 

Considering Yorkshire, who posted their second highest first-class total ever and the highest by any team on this ground, had clinched promotion late on day three behind champions Sussex, it was no shock that they opted against exerting their bowlers during the final day of 2024. 

That opened the door for Bairstow to post his third 50 plus score in five late-season Division Two appearances, including one century, and for 23-year-old Wharton to write his name into the record books.

Wharton’s 319-ball innings, including 32 fours and 10 sixes, marked a career best score, usurping the 188 he scored in the mid-summer win over Derbyshire at Chesterfield.  

Darren Lehmann’s 339 against Durham in 2006 remains the highest first-class score at Headingley, while Don Bradman twice and John Edrich both posted triple centuries in Test Matches from 1930 to 1965. Wharton now sits as the best of the rest. 

He started the day unbeaten on 162 and completed a third-wicket partnership of 117 with Will Luxton, who was bowled by Jack White’s seam for 49 - 392 for three in the 89th over, the day’s sixth. 

He then added 194 with fourth-wicket partner Bairstow - 84 balls, 10 fours and two sixes, through to early afternoon, the pair uniting for just less than 25 overs. 

Although fourth-placed Northamptonshire, quite understandably, were not at full tilt with nothing at stake, Wharton and Bairstow royally entertained the spectators who had braved the late September chill.

Visiting captain Luke Procter was off the field managing a back injury.

Much of the morning took place under the Headingley floodlights, and Wharton and Bairstow became increasingly brutal.

At one stage late in the morning, Wharton hit 44 of 45 runs to come off successive overs of seam from James Sales and Gus Miller as Yorkshire moved to 503 for three after 99 overs, a lead of 356. 

In that two-over period, Wharton hit six fours and three leg-side sixes. Two of them were pulled. He reached his double hundred in that period, off 272 balls, and went to 250 in only another 17 deliveries. 

Some of Bairstow’s striking was particularly fearsome, hitting well on the up through and over the cover region.

A 15-minute delay to the afternoon preceded Wharton’s departure as he holed out at long-on off Fateh Singh’s left-arm spin before Bairstow was bowled by Saif Zaib - also bowling left-arm spin - as Yorkshire fell to 600-5, a lead of 453. Zaib also bowled Jonny Tattersall. 

It was harsh on on-loan Nottinghamshire spinner Singh - he plugged away encouragingly in the face of adversity through his first debut - that his haul of three for 193 from 40 overs was the most runs conceded in an English first-class cricket.  

His third wicket was that of Dom Bess lbw - 646 for seven - before George Hill and Jordan Thompson took the hosts beyond 700 with 54 and 56 not out respectively. 

This was the highest first-class total Northamptonshire have conceded. 

Matthew Fisher, on his final day as a Yorkshire player, then claimed two new ball wickets after tea, getting Gus Miller brilliantly caught by a diving Bess at deep midwicket and the other opener Krish Patel caught behind. 

 

Yorkshire batter James Wharton said 

 

“A few people have been saying a few things to me about all the stats, and it was good day. 

“I never would have thought that coming into this game I would end up on a score like that. It just tops off an amazing week for the team.

“Getting promotion done and dusted yesterday was brilliant, and coming off the pitch I’ve never experienced anything like that. Everybody was so happy for what we achieved, and we deserved to achieve it. 

“Today, it was just about going about our business. It was a draw, but we dominated the game with bat and ball. It wasn’t quite as competitive today, but it was still a good day. 

“I would have liked a few more hundreds rather than forties this year (833 Championship runs, two hundreds). That’s something going into next year I’d like to get better with. But we’ve achieved promotion, which is what we set out to do.

“We’re all just beaming with confidence, and we’re excited for Division One. We know it’s going to be a different task and challenge. It’s going to be tougher cricket, but we’re ready. 

“We’ve had three years together, and it’s been a process building towards this. Now, we’re at a time where the young lads have played more and we have more experience. 

“Ottis Gibson always goes on about his village growing up in Barbados. He says the elders ran the ship. With Coady and Lythy, there’s no one better in the country. They’re two of the best. 

“Coady’s the best bowler in the country, Lythy the best opening batter in the country in my opinion. For us young guys, batting alongside them and learning from them, it’s amazing.”

 

Northamptonshire bowling coach Rory Kleinveldt said 

 

“It’s been a season of missed opportunities, really. There have been a few games where we possibly could have won, rolled the dice a bit earlier maybe to try and force a result. But it wasn’t meant to be.

“There are a lot of things we need to work on going forwards into next summer, particularly our catching. 

“Ben Sanderson with the ball has been class for us - he has been for the last 10 years I think it is now. 

“Our batters have put their hands up this season and played really nicely. 

“But, like I said there, we have a lot of things we have to work on. 

“Promotion is always the aim (2025). There’s no doubt about that. We come into any season - because we’re in the second division - wanting to get promoted. 

“With the white ball, we want to go on and win those competitions as well.  We have a history with the T20s of winning those titles, so there’s expectation. 

“We were really disappointed that we weren’t able to get through to Finals Day (beaten quarter-finalists by Somerset). It wasn’t meant to be.”

© Cricket World 2024